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I take 1 oz Pegoraro factory trap shell,cut the original crimp out and empty the shell from pellets.

I then put a 28 gauge fiber wad (about 1/4 long) in the cup, then the 15 bhn Lee 574 dia (as cast and coated) ball. The fit with the thin shotcup just happens to be snug for my 870. Velocity is only 1250 fps,ball weight 270.

Those ball loads are in the first row,next three rows are a 260 grain pellet-style slugs loaded the same way. It is smaller in dia than the Lee ball and not very accurate in this particular gun,not with this wad.

The last row with five fold crimped rounds is what I'm actually doing,tungsten shot. That means many short range trips with chrono and pattern targets, I take some of these nice'n easy ball slugs with me every time.

You might try using a paper wrap or two on the undersize slugs. That should tighten them up to suit the bore.

Round balls are nice though I have to say. My goal has been decent hunting level accuracy to 100 yards with slugs from smoothbore but I'm still not there yet. If I were to accept defeat more gracefully, I would just accept that 50+ yards is my limit and just load round balls. I have as yet to find a slug that is as easy to cast and load as a round ball and that gives as consistent accuracy out to 50... maybe 60 yards.

Hitting clays consistently at 40 yards is good groups! Well done!

I have had a few slugs that are contenders and may shoot well out to 100 yards but not many and I am revisiting those now before I get too old to enjoy any possible success!

However, round balls are still my favourite!

When you say you cut out the crimp are you leaving the rolled edge and cutting the middle out like the "prepper" tools or cutting the end off the hull then forming new crimp with shorter hull?

Pretender
Thanks for the information. Everyones techniques help everyone. What roll crimping tool are you using. And, I am assuming you are using a drill press to finish your crimp?
The balls that I cast average 477 grains +/-. Haven't Chrony,d the loads yet. Working on the accuracy first.
Regards

I offer an old posting of mine (go to the archive and seek "12 ga roundball success") which details - with pictures - my use of the cork wad, load data, etc. It's a snap to put together and is incredibly accurate for me. The only difficult aspect to it now is the Jeff Tanner .702 cast ball. Tanner passed away and I don't know any current custom round ball mold cutters. My attempts should work well with common - slightly smaller - ball.

If I were to do it again, I'd try a .700 ball or even a little smaller.

I bought a saddle scope mount for my 870 today at Cabelas. I have read different opinions about the saddle mount from several different forums. I understant that the receiver and barrell being two separate pieces is not an ideal setup. I have taken a lot of the play out of the barrell in the receiver, simply by shimming the barrell. I Think I have thought of a way to improve the rigidity of the mount. I will try that idea if the standard mounting system doesn't seem rigid enough. i.e. large groups.
Longbow
Not meaning to deter you from your goal, but it does sound futile to ask a slug to group well at the hundred yard mark using a smooth bore. I know, you know well, that when rifling the bores came into effect, and stabilizing the projectiles of the muskets, that was a definite improvement over the smooth bore. Firearms became deadly at a lot further distances.
Regards

If you are cutting the entire crimp off including rolled edge you might try using a piece of 3/4" pipe cut and faced to the correct length. That is what I use for hull length cutting and gauges. I use a utility knife to cut across the face. Works quite well and is simple.

I just found that a 0.600" RB fits fairly well into the bottom of a CSD wad. Even if that is a flop, a donut wad should work. 3/4 oz. load data should work fine for that so smaller ball at higher velocity. I actually wanted the mould for 2 ball and Tri-Ball loads but the potential is there for a single ball load too.

Howdy Longbow
As all I hunt is river bottoms RB is all I have ever needed.
So I was sitting reading and thinking about the paper machete insert. Why not a piece of tubbing with the right inside diameter (or even a cut off piece of hull that was "well used for the form. Wet some standard newspaper. Stuff it in the form, add the RB under pressure. After drying shove the whole unit out the open end wad first.
Have to work a little to get the right height in the shell. I think I will work at it a bit down here as I still have 100 shot shell primers doing nothing and 20 or so RB's lingering in a can.
Have to work on it when the rainy season gets going here...
Mike in Peru

"Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Male Guanaco out in dry lakebed at 10,800 feet south of Arequipa.